Mass Spectrometry of Pyrrolidine Derivatives of Fatty Acids

Fatty acid pyrrolidine derivatives (or pyrrolidides or acyl-pyrrolidines) were the first of the nitrogen-containing derivatives to be recognized as offering new possibilities for the structural analysis of fatty acids by mass spectrometry. Although they are less used nowadays, they do have certain advantages. By an interesting and useful coincidence, the pyrrolidide of a given fatty acid has exactly the same molecular weight as the corresponding DMOX derivative, and the diagnostic ions are often the same. DMOX derivatives have better GC properties, but pyrrolidides are more stable and are better when functional groups are near the terminal end of the molecule; they should not be neglected. Useful practical information and links to derivatization and separation procedures are given in the introductory document to this section. These web pages are updated regularly as new information and mass spectra become available.

Pyrrolidine derivatives of mainstream fatty acids

Pyrrolidine derivatives of some less common fatty acids

Dicarboxylic fatty acids (discussed together with the DMOX derivatives)
Acetylenic fatty acids (discussed together with the DMOX derivatives)
Cyclic fatty acids (discussed together with the DMOX derivatives)
Hydroxy fatty acids (discussed together with the DMOX derivatives)
Epoxy, furanoid and alkoxy fatty acids (discussed together with the DMOX derivatives)
Halogenated fatty acids (discussed together with the DMOX derivatives)

Archive - Pyrrolidine derivatives of fatty acids

We have approximately 260 mass spectra of pyrrolidine derivatives of different fatty acids available for examination here, which were collected from our research efforts over more than 30 years, but without interpretation.

Literature survey - Pyrrolidine derivatives of fatty acids

Recommended Book: Christie, W.W. and Han, X. Lipid Analysis - Isolation, Separation, Identification and Lipidomic Analysis (4^th edition), 446 pages (Oily Press, Woodhead Publishing and now Elsevier) (2010) - at Science Direct.

© Author: William W. Christie
Updated: November 22^nd, 2023	Contact/credits/disclaimer